Prior to the present invention no military specification set forth any standardized procedure for testing or evaluating the ballistic shock absorption capability of aluminum alloy welded joints. Prior art ballistic tests of aluminum alloy armor weld joints have left the choice of test projectile type and caliber, impact velocity, impact obliquity, location of impact and allowable crack length to the discretion of the tester. Historically, the only tests considered reliable have been those conducted on 90.degree. corner joints or on "H" plates wherein four coplanar plates are welded together with the welds forming the letter H. No method has heretofore been known or used for evaluating welding procedures or designs as applied to the welded joints of similar or dissimilar aluminum alloy armor components wherein the joint angles could be 0 degrees representing coplanar welded components, or either acute or obtuse angles between the components, and wherein the two welded armor plates may be of equal or unequal thickness. The present invention provides a novel and efficient method of testing and evaluating welds having any of the characteristics described.